The Washington Metro Area's Premier Contemporary Dance Company

BMDC Staff

Lucy Bowen McCauleyArtistic Director

Lucy Bowen McCauley is the Artistic Director, choreographer, and creative energy behind BMD. Since founding the company in 1996, she has created over 100 works ranging from lyrical ballets to highly physical contemporary pieces set to rock music. Her choreography offers an unconventional array of genres and blends balletic lines, quirky gestures, and modern dance’s earthiness. Her work explores the interplay between music, dance, and drama. Washingtonian Magazine named her among those “who have helped transform Washington into one of the nation’s liveliest centers in performing arts.”

A dancer since childhood, Lucy's early training at the Jordan School of Music & Dance in Indianapolis, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Traverse City, Michigan, provided her with a profound appreciation for both music and musicians that is so striking in her work. At age 18, she accepted a scholarship to the Joffrey School in New York City where she performed with the Joffrey Concert Group. She also danced with the Maryland Ballet, the Virginia State Ballet, DC Contemporary Dance Theatre and Daniel West Dancers. She was a founding member of Eric Hampton Dance.

She pioneered a unique stretch technique 30 years ago, Bowen McCauley Stretch, which has been featured in USA Today, Dance Teacher, and The Washington Post. Lucy serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance/USA, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Arlington Economic Development Commission.

Throughout her career, Lucy has received numerous awards and recognition for her excellence in dance. Most recently, she was honored with the woman of Vision Award from the Commission on the Status of Women. In 2013, Lucy was awarded the prestigious Pola Nirenska Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. In October 2010 she received the prestigious lifetime award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education at the 10th Annual Metro DC Dance Awards in Washington, DC. Lucy has received the Alumni Path of Inspiration Award from the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the STAR Award for Artistic Excellence from the Arlington Commission for the Arts. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Campbell Award for the Advancement of the Arts in Arlington from the American Association of University Women. She is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Arlington. McCauley received the 2009 James B. Hunter III Arlington Community Hero Award, which recognizes people who make an ongoing difference in the Arlington community.

Ilana GoldmanChoreographer in Residence

Ilana Goldman, Choreographer in Residence and an Assistant Professor of Dance at Florida State University in Tallahassee. She has taught and choreographed for schools and companies across the country. Her two short dance films, Convergence and Fledgling, have screened at numerous international film festivals.

She received her early training at the Maryland Youth Ballet and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the John Erskine Prize for Artistic and Academic Excellence. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington.

Helen M. ChamberlinExecutive Director

Helen M. Chamberlin, is the Executive Director, Bowen McCauley Dance Company, a nonprofit comprised of a professional dance company with community engagement programs that share the joy of dance with all-ages. BMDC’s professional dance company attracts many of the top dancers in the Mid-Atlantic region and has toured both regionally and internationally.

Helen brings 35 years of leadership experience in development, public policy, grassroots advocacy, governance, communications/PR, operations, and finance to high-profile organizations from the corporate, nonprofit and public sectors.

As Senior Director, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (trade association), Helen produced 12 national consumer campaigns migrating from traditional print assets to digital distribution and promotion platforms. Helen produced more than 90 original cable programming and Hollywood film studio premieres for national news outlets, legislators, regulators and other administration officials. Other notables included the development and negotiation of the cable industry’s successful adoption of the industry’s voluntary TV Ratings System used in conjunction with V-chip technology. Helen also produced ten TV Critics Association - LA Press tours representing 22+ cable programming companies per tour.

As On-air Talent, Helen produced two-weekend radio programs for Classic Rock 94.7 a CBS radio affiliate from 2006 to 2008. She served as Deputy Executive Director, Cable in the Classroom (CIC) where she led the development and distribution of education curriculum materials for the K-12 classroom.

Helen got her start in public policy as a Congressional Aide for the late U.S. House of Representative Frank Annunzio of IL during the Reagan Administration and continued to pursue government engagement with another high-profile trade association, the U.S. Telephone Association - Government and Public Affairs. As a newly minted undergraduate, Marriott International recruited her to join their management services division working for two clients, the University of MD – University College Conference Center and the George Washington University Catering Service divisions.

Helen holds a MS, Information Telecommunications Systems Management from Capitol Technology University (Laurel, MD) and a BS, Food Science from University of MD (College Park, MD). She is a Betsy Magness Leadership Institute fellow (Class XVI).

Timothy A. McKalip Development Director

Timothy A. McKalip joined Bowen McCauley Dance Company in June 2018 as its first, full-time Development Director. He brings 30 years of experience in development, education, and counseling from the nonprofit and public education sectors.
Tim was a founding faculty member of IDEA Public Charter School, one of the first charter schools in Washington, DC. During his 15-year tenure, he worked to establish the educational programs and went on to lead the development activities. He grew the school’s supplemental funding and managed over one million dollars annually in federal, local, and foundation grants.
A native Arlingtonian, Tim holds a M.Ed. in Counseling and Development from George Mason University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Tim is also a musician and is excited to bring his band Westover Easy into the collaboration mix with Bowen McCauley Dance Company, which strives to incorporate live music into its on-stage performances.